High Society (The High Stakes Saga #3)

“And you’re not turning them into vampires?” Yarrow asked suspiciously, her arched brows raised.

“Absolutely not.”

“Why not?” she questioned.

Enoch paused for a moment. “I’ve seen enough death. I’d prefer to avoid war. But I’ve also learned that some things are worth fighting for.”

“Eve?” I blurted.

“Absolutely,” he confirmed. “I love her, Maru. I am in love with her. And I will do anything in my power to make sure that Victor Dantone and Kael Frost never hurt her again.”

With fierce determination burning in his eyes, he waved us forward and we continued our trek across the forbidden parts of Verona. We never passed a single member of the military. Either most, if not all, had defected to the Haven, or Enoch was lying about giving them a choice. Either way, I didn’t think he was lying about his feelings for Eve. There was a severity about him, a sharp otherworldliness in his manner, and when he said he loved her and would protect her even if it meant bringing a war to Victor and the Compound, I believed him. And I was glad Yarrow and I were safe now.

The tech in my hand itched as the skin continued to thread back together. At the edge of the Dead Zone, there was a distinct line where the destruction and rubble ended. The remainder of the city’s outskirts remained untouched, except for the ravages of time and weather. Victor had bombed a circle around his Compound, but left more outside than in. The buildings were shorter and single family homes in long rows became the norm.

There were tall lights casting wide orange circles of light on the streets around them. The children took advantage of the artificial light, laughing and skipping over long ropes swung in arcs. One rubbed the belly of a yellow dog. I wondered if the family who lived in the apartment I borrowed had managed to make it here. Maybe they were happy and safe.

“Are they all human?” I asked gently.

Enoch nodded a response. “We’ve entered the Haven.”

Humans near the Compound didn’t venture outside at night. Here in the Haven, they played in the darkness under the streetlights. It had been a long time since I heard anything as carefree as a child’s laugh.

Sure, sometimes Eve would say something sarcastic and make me smile, but this was different. Here, there was no pressure to perform, smothering your every thought. Here, kids could be kids and enjoy simple things. They played together in groups, parents watching from porch steps or doing chores while the kids played. A woman washed laundry in a tub while another hung the laundered clothes on a line. At another house, a man cooked meat over a stone grill, flipping the sizzling steak to keep it from burning. It smelled delicious. Better than anything I’d been served at the Compound.

Yarrow looked around, her mouth agape.

“This is insane. If people knew…”

“We’ve broadcast it, but the feeds keep getting blocked.”

I shook my head. “Victor wouldn’t want this broadcast. The people would call for his execution, and rightly so.”

“Dantone is trying to clutch onto whatever power he thinks he has left. I intend to strip it from him entirely, and Kael Frost’s as well,” Enoch declared casually.

I wondered what would happen then. Would he seize power for himself? Isn’t that why his kind overthrew the government and fed their way through the country to begin with? To take power away from the humans who held it?

I wasn’t defending Victor. I could never in good conscience do that, but I also wasn’t ready to put my complete, blind trust in Enoch – despite what Eve said in her letter.

“What are the rules? What payment must be made to stay here in safety?” I asked.

Enoch slowed his pace, separating me and Yarrow. “We ask nothing from those who stay but that they behave in a respectful way to the other inhabitants. Obviously murder, theft, assault, rape, and things of that sort are not tolerated. Otherwise, the humans have formed neighborhood groups to sort squabbles. We mostly stay out of their business unless there is a major offense.”

“And then? What happens if someone murders someone, for instance?”

“Number one, we haven’t had that occur yet, but we have had lesser crimes occur. The punishment is banishment. If the offender sneaks back into the Haven, the penalty is death.”

“Meaning you turn them?” I asked to clarify.

“No, meaning one of us snaps their necks. It’s swift and mostly painless.”

I swallowed thickly, hoping he wouldn’t snap mine if I jumped and returned without Eve for some reason.

“So, it’s just… neighborhoods of people,” Yarrow surmised as we strolled through the streets. People were starting to pack things in and retire to their homes for the night. Mothers waved in their children. Fathers shut the doors and closed the blinds. Kids told their friends goodnight.

“Where are all the vampires?” I asked.

“There are plenty,” he hedged, “but they only attack when and if I, or one of my siblings, instruct them to. And only at night, of course.”